Summertown is a one mile square residential area, north of St Giles, the boulevard leading out of Oxford’s city centre. Summertown is home to several independent schools and the city’s most expensive houses.[1] On both sides of Banbury Road are Summertown's popular shops. There is also a smaller street of shops and restaurants, South Parade, that links Banbury Road and Woodstock Road.

Summertown is home to much of Oxford's broadcast media. BBC Radio Oxford and the BBC Television's Oxford studios are on Banbury Road. The studios for JACK FM, Glide FM, and Six TV Oxford (no longer broadcasting) are on Woodstock Road.

Oxfam International Secretariat is based on Banbury Road.[2] Just over half – 50.9 per cent – of the local population have a degree.[1]

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Most of north Oxford came into being as a result of the revolutionary decision by the university to permit college fellows to marry and live in real houses, as opposed to rooms in college.[1] Large houses were built on farmland either side of Banbury Road and Woodstock Road. Much of the land belonged to St John's College, Oxford and the houses were originally sold leasehold. St John's has since sold the freehold on most of these properties.

The congregation outgrew St. John's so a new church, St. Michael and All Angels in Lonsdale Road, was built to replace it 1908-09.[4] St. John's was demolished in 1924,[4] the site was sold in 1970 and a block of flats now stands on the site.[5]

St. Michael's also is a cruciform Early English Gothic Revival building, in this case designed by A.M. Mowbray.[4][6] The building has never been completed. It has a chancel, north and south transepts, vestry, and a south chapel beside the chancel, but the nave and north and south aisles comprise only one bay ending in a "temporary" west wall that has stood for more than a century.[4] The building is coursedrubblestone apart from the temporary west wall, which is brick.[5]

Summertown United Reformed Church began in 1838 as a Congregational mission to Summertown.[7] A chapel for it in Middle Way was completed in 1844.[7] The present Gothic Revival church on Banbury Road was built in 1894 and its transepts and meeting room were added in 1910.[7] The former chapel in Middle Way was demolished in 1971.[7]

The Roman Catholic Parish church of SS Gregory and Augustine on Woodstock Road,[9] was founded in 1911,[6][10] the same year as SS Edmund and Frideswide (Iffley Road, now run by the Capuchin Franciscans). Previously the Oxford area had been served by the Jesuits at St Aloysius (now an Oratory of St Philip Neri), which was founded in 1875, replacing the church of St Ignatius (in St Clement's), which had been founded immediately after the relaxation of the penal laws forbidding the building of Catholic places of worship, in 1795. More Catholic parishes were established in the ensuing decades.

The architect was Ernest Newton, FRIBA and a much admired member of the Arts and Crafts movement. The fabric of the church is very little changed from the time of its foundation.

Nikolaus Pevsner described the church thus (1974): "By Ernest Newton. Small and stuccoed. A rectangle, white, with a cupola. W. window with a gently double-curved head. Plaster tunnel-vault inside with tie beams."

The county secondary school for the area is Cherwell School on Marston Ferry Road to the east of Banbury Road. Cherwell School is the site for MECO Islamic School, a modern professional weekly Saturday Islamic School for all Muslim (and other) children (aged 4–16). St. Clare's, Oxford, an independent, international residential college offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma, English-language courses and IB teacher workshops is located on Banbury Road. The independent co-educational (13-18) boarding school, St Edward's School is located on Woodstock Road. The independent day and boarding Sixth Form of d'Overbroeck's College is on Banbury Road. The independent boys (8-13) preparatory school Summer Fields School is located on Mayfield Road. Traditionally Summer Fields is rivaled by its North Oxford neighbour, the co-educational boarding and day school (4-13), the Dragon School which is on Bardwell Road on the perimeter of Summertown. Lynams, the pre-prep school for the Dragon School (for boys and girls from 4–7 years old), is located on Woodstock Road. Northern House School which specializes in delivering special needs education is located on South Parade. Oxford High School, independent girls (11-18) school and member of Girls' Day School Trust, is located on Belbroughton Road, east of Banbury Road. Oxford High School Junior Department: Greycotes, independent school for girls, (ages 6–11), is located on Bardwell Road. Oxford High School Junior Department: The Squirrel, independent school (for girls and boys aged 4–6), is located on Woodstock Road. SS Philip and James Primary School, 'Phil & Jim', a Church of England Aided Primary School is located on Navigation Way. [11] Ewert House in Ewert Place is part of the University of Oxford. It houses lecture and seminar rooms of the Department for Continuing Education and a large examination hall. Wolfson College, University of Oxford is located on Linton Road, Summertown. Magna Carta College is situated on Mayfield Road, Summertown.